"Uchiha Makoto, calm down. Think about the peace of the ninja world. If you act on your own—"
"Shut up. And remember how you should address me when we're working."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. "Right now, you should be calling me Kage-sama. Senju Tobirama, don't forget your identity or your position."
Senju Tobirama had originally planned to speak with restraint. His elder brother's instructions rang in his ears: stabilize the situation at all costs.
So he intended to humble himself and speak softly.
But Uchiha Makoto, in front of everyone, didn't give him an ounce of respect.
Around them, the Akatsuki ninja and the Uzumaki clan members looked openly disgusted.
To them, Konoha's leadership siding with Kumogakure at a time like this was shameless.
Even the Konoha ninja lowered their heads, faces burning with humiliation.
And for Konoha's high-ranking officials, the sting was even sharper.
Everyone knew Senju Tobirama's character.
He was the "Shadow Hokage," Konoha's Kyūsennansai—iron-blooded, ruthless toward disorder, incapable of tolerating even a grain of sand in his eye.
Against unruly citizens, he could, without hesitation, order Anbu to beat them bloody and throw them into confinement.
If the Hokage hadn't personally intervened in past incidents, some citizens would still be rotting in the Anbu cells.
Yet today, this stern, unyielding man was bowing his head, lowering himself in front of Uchiha Makoto.
Everyone understood why.
And everyone felt the same thing:
Tobirama-sama was going to suffer for this.
The moment Tobirama spoke, he felt the weight of countless hostile gazes. His heart sank like a stone.
He realized—too late—that he had walked right into the worst possible timing.
Makoto had provoked the crowd perfectly, and Tobirama had fed himself to them by opening his mouth.
And Makoto's triumphant smirk made it all unbearably worse.
A storm of emotions surged through Tobirama: anger, humiliation, madness, unwillingness.
He, the Shadow Hokage, was being publicly mocked by an Uchiha brat.
When had he ever lost face like this?
If only he were an Uchiha—he would at least have a Sharingan to help control his rage, maybe even a Mangekyō.
But he had no such luxury.
Still, Tobirama was not an ordinary man.
Even though he wanted nothing more than to drive a Flying Thunder God blade straight through Makoto's skull, his rationality remained.
He forced himself to calm down, to assess the situation in seconds.
True—he should have stayed silent.
But since he had already stepped forward, there was no retreat.
He could only push through.
At this moment, he absolutely could not openly oppose Makoto.
But neither could he blindly echo Makoto's aggressive stance—otherwise, Makoto might seize the opportunity to unilaterally declare war on Kumogakure in Konoha's name.
So Tobirama steadied himself.
"Yes, Kage-sama," he said, forcing his voice calm. "I understand your feelings. I only wish to speak objectively. As for Kumogakure's responsibility—I guarantee Konoha will pursue it to the end.
But if this conflict escalates into a full war, I hope Kage-sama will reconsider.
Hokage-sama also wishes—"
He swallowed the rest.
He had already said enough.
Uchiha Makoto simply nodded with a mocking smile.
"Good. At least you understand reason now."
That mocking satisfaction in Makoto's eyes was unmistakable.
"Told you not to posture in front of me a few days ago," Makoto thought. "Now look at you."
There was no point in pushing Tobirama further.
He'd gotten the reaction he wanted.
Makoto turned toward the First Tsuchikage.
"Tsuchikage, did you hear that? Kumogakure must give me a satisfactory explanation. If not—we continue the war."
He tapped Tobirama's shoulder with a look of exaggerated courtesy.
"Konoha won't let Kumogakure off either, right? Isn't that so, Senju Tobirama?"
Tobirama's expression was so dark it looked like he'd died inside.
But his silence meant tacit agreement.
The First Tsuchikage finally exhaled with relief.
"Good, good."
"Don't worry, Kage-sama. I will urge Kumogakure. They will definitely capture that Cloud assassin as quickly as possible. He must pay with his life."
If they wanted peace, Kumogakure had no choice.
Someone had to die to take responsibility.
Uchiha Makoto's faint smile only widened.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had orchestrated.
Akatsuki achieved their goals.
Konoha protected its reputation and secured benefits.
And Kumogakure… suffered.
Yet one thing suddenly struck Tobirama with a jolt—
The Cloud assassin still wasn't caught.
"Wait…"
His eyes widened slowly.
"The Cloud assassin—did he escape? Or… was this entire incident staged by Uchiha Makoto?"
He replayed the events in his mind.
The assassin's voice had indeed been loud and clear.
His kunai had drawn Makoto's blood.
Then Makoto's guards "chased" him.
But in the very next breath, Makoto had shifted the entire scene's focus toward condemning Kumogakure.
Everyone—Akatsuki, Uzumaki, even Konoha—was drawn into the emotional storm.
And the assassin simply vanished from everyone's attention, as if swallowed by the earth.
Too smooth.
Too convenient.
Too unnatural.
Tobirama's face tightened.
"Did that assassin really escape?" he asked stiffly.
Makoto smiled. "Yes… he's quite cunning."
"Oh~?"
That single sound echoed in Tobirama's skull like a hammer.
Makoto's calm smile, the perfect timing, the skillful manipulation of public outrage—
Everything pointed to one conclusion.
Makoto was the mastermind.
He had staged his own assassination.
He had steered the entire crowd like puppets.
He had forced both Iwagakure and Konoha to pressure Kumogakure.
And he had walked away as the greatest beneficiary.
Tobirama's stomach tightened in rage.
He prided himself as the natural enemy of the Uchiha.
Except for Madara, no Uchiha had ever outsmarted him.
But today—
He had been played from the very beginning.
Even worse—
There was no evidence.
The only witness was the assassin—who was either an Akatsuki agent or a real Cloud shinobi coerced by Makoto.
And by now, he was certainly dead.
No one alive would ever reveal anything.
A secret kept forever is a secret kept by—
a corpse.
Makoto's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Senju Tobirama, what's wrong? Why is your face getting uglier by the second? Are you frightened by today's spectacle? I was the one who got stabbed, yet I'm not scared. Should I call a medical ninja for you?"
The mockery was blatant.
Tobirama's fingers twitched.
Uchiha Makoto… you just wait. I will kill you.
---
But for now, he could only swallow the humiliation whole.
The negotiations were wrapping up.
The war was shifting.
The world was watching.
And Uchiha Makoto, calm and smiling, walked out of the arena as the unquestioned MVP.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)